In a previous post I discussed the benefits of sandbag training and how beneficial it is for combat athletes like MMA fighters. In the video that followed I showed a basic sandbag carry using two 50 lb sandbags. In that same training session I decided to step it up a level. I added a sled to drag while I was carrying the 50 lb bags on either shoulder. I loaded the sled up to 90 lbs. Using leg drive to move the sled and upper body strength to hold the sandbags up this becomes a pretty grueling training tool.
While your lower body is focusing on driving the sled behind you, your core is focused on maintaining balance with the two sandbags weighing down on it. The sled drag like I have discussed in the past will help with the development of punching power and developing a more explosive takedown. Add in the sandbags and you now have also helped increase the abilities stated above. When you go to punch you use the muscles in your abdomen and the sandbags will help you with developing a stronger abdomen. Holding the sandbags on your shoulders act as if you have an opponent on your shoulder to finish off a takedown. Using the sandbags and sleds at the same time will help you become extremely strong so give it a try.
Jon Fitch is in the main event at UFC 127 going against BJ Penn. Fitch is known for his outstanding wrestling and many have called him boring for his lay and pray style. This time around I don’t think laying on BJ Penn will be such a good idea.
But I am not here to critique anyone’s fighting style, I am here for some strength and conditioning and that is what I am going to give you. In this video just like the title says you are going to see Jon Fitch performing jump squats with the barbell. The string type thing that you see attached to the barbell is called a accelerometer and it measures the speed of the bar as you jump with it.
He then moves into jump squats without the barbell. Jump squats are great for becoming explosive using your own body. You need to be explosive however and once you hit the floor you need to be jumping, this is the way to build that explosiveness.
Train Hard! Train Smart!
The other day I posted a couple of videos of Jon Jones training. Jones is a great athlete and is well on his way to becoming champion one day. But before he can become champ he needs to defeat another great athlete in Ryan Bader at UFC 126.
In this video Jones is performing one the best strength training exercises, the deadlift. The deadlift is a great movement that will work on improving strength in your hamstrings, glutes and lower back. I have all my fighters and even the average clients perform deadlifts. Deadlifts can help with picking up opponents off the ground, can increase both punching and kicking power and help with a fighters takedowns.
In the video below you will see Jones performing the deadlift. Now what I love about this video is the proper technique Jones uses on the lift as well as the fact that he re-sets after each rep. The deadlift is a tough exercise and with heavy weight it can really tax the body. Re-setting after each rep of the deadlift will ensure proper technique in the lift and will reduce the risk of injury.
So if you are looking to add deadlifting to your training mix take a look at this video for the proper way to do it. Is it by far perfect? No, but Jones does show some really good technique. Add deadlifts to your training and you will see your strength improve greatly.
One very important aspect that many mixed martial artists neglect as well as other combat athletes is balance. If you watch MMA there are some really great athletes in the sport. Many of those athletes posses great balance in their MMA game. Let’s break down some positions fighters can find themselves in during a fight and apply what having strong balance will do.
Your balance in a fight is important throughout the entire fight. Take a look at BJ Penn, there are times when n opponent goes to take him down and he is on one leg and not going down to the ground. So balance is good for takedown defense. One area that balance is overlooked is in the striking portion of the game. When throwing combinations fighters that cannot maintain solid balance will not be able to deliver the punches with any kind of power. When delivering a kick, if done properly a fighter must get up on the ball of one foot and turn their hips explosively, if the athlete cannot get up on the one leg for the brief time the kick will not generate enough power or speed.
In past posts I have spoken about some ways to increase your ability to have better balance, from the one leg squat or pistol, to performing single leg hops. These ways are an excellent way to better your balance. Another way, which could be beneficial, and it is a very basic movement is walking across a balance beam. Yes I know the next thing you will say is “where am I going to get a balance beam?” But you do not need a balance beam.
Remember when you were a kid and you were at the playground or just hanging out on the street? Well, I do and I remember using the curb along my street to walk across and use my balance. I actually think I used to pretend that if I fell off I was falling into a swamp of alligators. Boy was I a dork. But as you can see a childlike imagination can lead to great thing in the future like having some great balance. You can also go out and purchase a nice 2×4 lay it on the ground and use that as your own personal balance beam.
Instead of myself showing you what to do, this video is of my daughter who attends gymnastics class. At only a year and half she has now started to walk across the balance beam with minimal help if any. So start using this little secret from the gymnastics world and you will only improve as a fighter.
Having strong, explosive legs is a key component in any combat sport. In MMA your legs can be a key component to victory. Your legs help you in every aspect of the sport from throwing a punch or a kick to driving an opponent up against the cage to attempting a takedown, your legs are the base of your success.
It is not enough to have just strong and explosive legs. In MMA you must be able to use that strength and power in your legs over and over again. Even in just moving around the cage with basic footwork can be taxing on the legs and can drain them of energy.
As a fighter, strength, power and muscle endurance in your lower body is important. Let’s take a quick look at how we can develop all three components. Performing squats and deadlifts are the sure way to build strength in your legs. These two exercises are surely the two best in my opinion to get the best results when it comes to strength gains. After developing a good base of strength or within the same training cycle you can turn that strength that you just gained into power. Utilizing plyometric training as well as using Olympic lifts such as power cleans, snatches, and jerks.
Now comes taking all the strength and power that was developed and being able to use it over and over again in a fight. A great way to develop this type of conditioning for your legs or any other muscles in your body is by using complexes. Complex’s is combining two or more exercises with a set amount of repetitions with minimal rest in between exercises. Complexes will maintain your strength and power but also give you some great metabolic conditioning.
The complex in the following video will increase your conditioning in your legs dramatically. It a complex taken from Dan John called the “Big 55”. With the use of a Kettlebell you perform two exercises. For this particular complex we used Kettlebell Swings and Goblet Squats. This complex is done a little different and will drain your legs. Starting with the swings you perform 10 reps followed by the squats for 10 reps, then you go to 9 reps of each then 8 reps all the way to 1 rep. That is a total of 55 reps for each exercise making it a grand total of 110 reps between the two exercises. All 110 reps are done without rest. This is great conditioning for your lower body and will allow you as a fighter to continue to use your strength and power. Give it a try!
We all know that punching power is very important in combat sports that require you to, well punch. Some of those would include boxing, Muay Thai, and MMA. There are a whole bunch of other martial arts out there that use punching but these are just to name a few. If you look at some of the most powerful punchers from the past like Mike Tyson, you will see that they use there entire body to generate force to deliver those knockout blows. So we can all agree that punching is a total body movement from the ground up? Great!
How do we develop a little added extra punching power? There are many different exercises that can help us obtain a little added power to our punches. Explosive pushups will help you increase the power of your punch as well as if you compete in such combat sports such as Judo or Jiu-Jitsu when you go to grab an opponent by the neck or gi for a takedown or to just control them. We all know pushups are great for you and can make you strong. If you have not already signed up for your FREE copy of the MMA Bodyweight Workout, you can do that up in the right hand corner.
Ok now back to what I was saying. There are many different variations of pushups and all the different variations serve a purpose. Explosive pushups help you develop power in your chest, shoulders and triceps all muscles that help when you are punching. In a regular explosive pushup you go down in a normal pushup and when you hit the bottom position you push yourself up and your hands leave the floor.
The variation I will show you below is the explosive medicine ball pushup. As you will see below this is a great exercise to not only help develop that explosive power but also help with your balance and as well as strengthening your stabilizing muscles. As you strengthen your stabilizing muscle around the shoulder and chest you will notice how will become stronger and more powerful. Just as a side note when performing this variation of pushup try and get the ball to stay still, you do not want to be chasing the ball around as you explode out from the bottom position. This could lead to injury. There are a couple of ways to add these in to your training. You can use them as part of a conditioning protocol or you can perform these after a compound movement like the squat or deadlift. I personally would not use them after a set of bench-pressing because I want the exercise to be powerful or it defeats the purpose if you do it slow or already fatigued. So check it out. Train Hard! Train Smart!
So yesterday I was supposed to go to the gym in the morning and getting a lifting session in but as my life has been lately things changed and I had to go to the Long Island Pride Jiu-Jitsu tournament earlier than expected. So heading there I was thinking of how to get a training session in later on in the day and I decided that I would hit the local high school for some sprint conditioning. Of course to my delight after getting home it finally began to rain after days and days of the weather forecast calling for showers. So I sat on my couch for a while and then said you know what “Screw it, I am going to sprint in the rain.” So I headed to the local track to get a good conditioning session using sprints.
During my conditioning session I noticed one very important thing, while I was sprinting I realized that I was able to train for a longer period of time. Now using sprinting, as a conditioning tool is very taxing on the body. Why was I able to train longer? My sprint mechanics or sprinting technique has been vastly improved. Using proper sprinting technique made me a more efficient runner, which in turn helped with my conditioning.
Let me relate this to MMA and other combat sports, which require good if not great technique. Let’s say for instance you are looking to take your opponent down. Most times the first shot is not a successful one, unless of course if you are GSP, after multiple shots your body begins to tire and you start to develop a lazier and lazier shot until you are totally gassed out. If your technique on takedowns is lacking then you will get tired much faster. The same goes when you use sprinting as a conditioning protocol, if you have poor technique your body will be taxed quicker and you will more than likely either slow down dramatically during conditioning or you will be to tired to continue.
In the book “Training for Speed, Agility and Quickness” by Lee Brown and Vance Ferrigno they speak about three elements that help with speed mechanics. First they speak about posture. If you have read my blog in the past you have seen speed drills that will help make you faster and also develop an explosive takedown. It was a two-part article titled, “Usain Bolt v.s. GSP” check them out http://bit.ly/anJ7dY and http://bit.ly/derl2w During a sprint you should have two different postures, at the beginning you should be in the acceleration phase, where your body is at a 45-degree angle. You can see some of the drills to help you out in the articles mentioned above. The other is coming upright during the sprint to about an 80-degree angle, this is known as max velocity. The second element is leg action. The extension of the knee, hip and ankles are key in this element and should be one coordinated motion. Stride frequency and stride length are also components of leg action. Finally arm action is important. I have heard some say that when you run you are only using your legs. Oh really? Well those people are dead wrong. Arm action is important in sprinting and I have found that help when you are getting tired. Here are some quick pointers on how to use your arms properly while sprinting. First keep your hands open, do not make fists. Then as you run pull your arm back at your shoulder do not just move your arm at the elbow. The arm should be kept at a 90-degree angle at the elbow. Second when you are running you want your hands to go cheek to cheek. That means your hands should swipe down by your butt cheek and come up to your face cheek.
These are some of the things that will help your sprinting out and when I train my fighters I teach them proper sprint technique. Now I don’t go over this with them to make them world-class sprinters but to help make them faster and more efficient athletes. As you see the world of MMA is turning out athletes that are taking the sport to the next level. Future articles will show some more drills to clean up your sprint technique. Train Hard! Train Smart!
Before I start, agility is defined as the ability to change the direction of your body efficiently and effectively. In order to perform agility drills effectively you need to be strong, powerful, have good balance and be able to control your body at all times. Agility drills are very effective for training all sorts of athletes. They increase the athlete’s performance and also help with the reduction in injury. Today many athletes are prone to knee injuries and other lower body injuries, agility drills can teach an athlete how to control their bodies which in turn will help reduce the likelihood of these injuries.
Combat sports and athletes are no different from regular athletes and should have agility drills programmed into their strength and conditioning routines. Fighters that compete in jiu-jitsu, MMA, boxing, and kickboxing are always changing direction. Agility drills will help a fighter with their footwork as well as other aspects like takedown defense and takedowns. Agility drills will make an athlete quick on their feet, as it will help any combat athlete as well.
The drill below is the 20 Yard Shuttle, it is used during NFL Combine and scouts use it to help them assess the players. The 20 Yard Shuttle is used as a test of lateral speed and coordination. Like I stated above being able to change direction in a fight is essential. So below is an example of the regular 20 Yard Shuttle and then a variation of it for combat sports. In the variation I add sprawls to enhance reaction ability and help with the athletes ability to get up and continue to change direction in a fight. In future article I will write about how to program agility drills into your strength and conditioning training. Remember one thing when you do these agility drills or even speed drills, get a full recovery in, it’s not a conditioning session it’s an agility session.
Recently in MMA we have seen wrestlers beginning to dominate the sport. You must have heard it several times so why not one more time. If you have great wrestling, you will be able to dictate where the fight takes place. Say you are facing a jiu- jitsu opponent, as a wrestler you will be able to stuff the takedown attempts and keep the fight standing where you may be able to knock him or her out. If the opponent you are facing has great standup then you will be able to take them down and dominate with your ground control.
Anyone in the strength and conditioning field has heard of plyometrics or the shock method. It has also become popular in the fitness world as well. This method of training was developed by Professor Yuri Verkhoshansky. The shock method was developed to enhance the speed strength of the Soviet athletes he trained. (Siff, M. Facts and Fallicies of Fitness) I can go on here and give you all the scientific terminology that I have sifted through in my journey but I will spare you. At the end of the day plyometrics or the shock method helps you produce explosive power. On that note here are the three-plyometric-exercise that will help you develop more powerful takedowns.
The first movement that will help develop that explosive takedown is the split jump. To do the split jump, imagine like you are doing a lunge. Get down into lunge position with one leg forward and the other leg bent. With that jump straight up in the air as high as you can and land with your legs still stretched in the same position as you started. So if you started in the lunge position with your right leg forward then at the end of the movement your right leg would still be the leg forward. Take a look at this video…
The next movement for creating your devastating takedown is the single-leg lateral broad jump. In this movement you want to get into a quarter-squat position. Choose a side you are going to jump to. So if you are going to your left you will be using your left leg to push off of and explode. Get up on your left leg alone. Using the outside edge of your left foot bend at the knees slightly and explode out to your left side jumping out as far as you can. Do the same for the right. Check it out…
Finally the last movement is the stride jump crossover. For this movement you will need a bench or some type of box. You will place one foot up on the bench. Say you start with you right-foot on the bench your leg nearly at a 90-degree angle. You will explode off your right foot extend your body and land on the other side with your right leg down and your left foot on the bench. Here is the video of the jump crossover…
Some other key pointers, when doing lower body plyometrics like the one’s above, remember to use your arms to help explode. I cue my fighters to start with their arms up, when they are about to do the movement, drop the arms and raise them back up fast as you jump. You will see this in the videos above and it will help you explode in each of the movements. Another thing you want to remember to do is to land softly. This means that you do not want your bones and joints to take the impact but rather your muscles. A good gauge on if you are landing soft enough is, if you make to much noise with your feet when you land then you did it wrong. Now get back to training and remember, TRAIN HARD, TRAIN SMART!
